Larry Grant

Month: March 2016

Have you always had a passion for climbing and conquering mountains? While it takes a lot of courage to climb hundreds and thousands of feet of land, it also requires a lot of self-discipline to be able to reach the peak of mountaineering dreams. Below are helpful tips on how to be a successful mountaineer.

If you are a first timer in mountaineering, do not rush on huge and high mountains. Instead, try the smaller ones first and see if you can handle them. As soon as you get used to climbing, then you can go and pursue the bigger and taller mountains

Motivate yourself in order to finish the journey. Take friends or family along so you can have more fun and enjoyment while climbing the mountains.

Before going to any of this, examine your physical and mental strength. You should not compare yourself with other person because body resistance is different from one person to another.

To avoid dehydration, always bring plenty of water or fluids in your journey. Drink every time you have to.

Learn from past mistakes. If there you have encountered problems on your previous trips like heavy baggage or lack of water, make sure to prepare for such problems this time.

Make friends with other people who have experienced mountaineering just like you. Ask advices and tips on how to become successful in such career

If you have heart problems and you still want to try mountaineering, ask your doctor to help you and prepare you for the activity. Take extra precaution and always follow your doctor’s advices.

Just like fighting in a battle, know who and what your enemies are. In mountaineering, you should learn the basic climbing techniques such as climbing protection, rappelling, belaying, and useful climbing knots. It is very essential that you learn how to survive in the wilderness.

Beforehand, you can practice climbing through more available climbing activities such as wall climbing in your local gym.

Not all people have the courage to climb mountains and conquer their fear of height. If you are among the very few courageous people, make sure that you prepare for this challenging journey you have to take.

Have you ever tried underwater hockey? Know the basics of underwater hockey and learn how to shoot that puck and make a goal underwater!

Tired of the common sports you play at the court like basketball or baseball? Looking for a new sport that will help you stay healthy, remove stress, and improve your socialization skills? If you want to explore new opportunities to play a sport and have fun at the same time, then you should definitely try underwater hockey!

What is Underwater Hockey?

Underwater hockey is played in an Olympic-sized pool. It can also be played in a pool at least 25 meters big.

Like street and ice hockey, underwater hockey is played by two teams. The objective of the game for each team is simple – to make as many goals as possible during the game period. The team who makes the more number of goals during the game period wins. Unlike the street and ice hockey, however, the underwater sport need not require the players to be skilled with roller-skating or ice-skating; instead, they should at least know how to swim and move underwater.

For each game of underwater hockey, players would play the sport for 30 minutes. Each team is composed of six swimmers each. For every goal made, there is a one-minute break. This short break gives swimmers the chance to swim back to their base.

How to Play Underwater Hockey?

The game starts with the players swimming with their heads above the water from their home bases. The puck, much like the one used in regular ice hockey, is then placed in the middle of the playing venue by the referee. Upon his or her signal, the players of both teams begin to dive for the puck. With the aid of a stick, they must be able to push the puck towards their opponent’s home base where the goal is located. This is much the same as regular street or ice hockey.

What distinguishes it from ice hockey though is that it is done underwater. Also, the stick used in underwater hockey is way too shorter and that the players are not allowed to use more than one hand in holding the stick to push the puck towards the goal.

The players should be good swimmers and good breath-holders although they are allowed to go up for air as often as they want. This however, lessens the chance of winning.

Headaches are much more prevalent health complaints than most health conditions. In chiropractic, headache is the third most common condition being treated, next to back pain and neck pain. Relative to the two leading cases chiropractic care deal with, many headache conditions are mild to moderate in severity and less disruptive. They require health care nonetheless, as they are bound to recur and affect a person’s productivity and quality of life, when their underlying causes are not addressed.

The number of documented types of headaches is more than 120. The vast majority of them are of the following most common types:

Tension headache – It is a generalized headache that can be described as a mild tightness around your head. It can cause irritability and affect your mood and concentration though it does not totally disrupt your daily activities.

Cervicogenic headache – It is an intense headache around the upper neck. It originates in the spine, in the neck and shoulder areas.

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) headache – It is a headache associated with the jaw pain condition called temporomandibular joint dysfunction and often goes with other symptoms such as pain from jaw movements – yawning, chewing, talking, etc.

Migraine – It is an intense throbbing, pulsating pain usually on one side of your head. It can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and nervous disturbances in the visual, sensory, motor and verbal functions. Its severity effectively renders the patient unproductive, sometimes bedridden.

Cluster headache – As its description suggests, cluster headaches occur in clusters at a time, over a period of a month or two. Commonly confused with migraine, cluster headache occurs together with symptoms of sinus infection like stuffy nose, fever, cough and congestion. This headache is less severe than migraine.

Hormone headache – It a type of headache often caused by hormonal development in women that is often associated with their periods. Contraceptive pills, pregnancy and menopause also trigger hormone headaches.

The only exception to the type of headaches that chiropractic care can deal with are those where the causes are serious and can be life threatening. These causes include aneurism, head injuries, brain tumors and vertebral or carotid artery dissection. It is the chiropractor’s role to refer these cases to other healthcare professionals for more appropriate medical attention. Chiropractic care works well with all other headaches.

How does chiropractic care work for headaches? What are the necessary steps that chiropractors follow in the treatment of headache?

Apart from the personal information that the chiropractic staff will ask of you, information on the history and details on the headache condition will be determined through an interview. These data may ascertain the most probable cause of headaches as well as give an idea on how to best manage the condition and you, the patient. In cases where certain habits or activities lead to the onset of the headaches, for example, the chiropractor may give guidance on ergonomics or prescribe specific exercise program to keep the tension on the part of the body under control. The information gathered on what help ease or aggravate the headaches will assist the chiropractor to recommend home treatment options, if possible.

Mechanical dysfunctions or abnormalities in your neck vertebrae will then be examined to check for increased muscle tension or nerve irritation that can affect blood flow control into your head. Chiropractic adjustments are done to align the neck bones and improve movements and with it, relieve the irritation and pressure that result in headaches. Misalignments or abnormalities in the neck joints can come from trauma such as accidents or falls, repetitive stress from long hours of work involving routine movements, stress or poor posture. Many chronic and recurring headaches are results of years of bad health habits and activities. The examination will evaluate these issues and isolate other possible more serious causes, if any. Nerve reflexes and sensation as well as muscle strength check will be carried out to assess nerve functions. X-ray examinations of the neck and jaw will likewise be evaluated. After this series of exams, the appropriate treatment approaches which include adjustments, soft tissue therapy, posture correction or other exercises and guidance on job modifications will be implemented.

Chiropractic has very high success rates in the treatment of headaches – about 90 percent with tension and cervicogenic headaches and 70 percent with migraines. The lower success rate with migraines is due due to other non-spinal, less- controllable factors, i.e., migraine triggers.

Repetitive stress injury (RSI) is a condition resulting from too much stress placed on a joint in the body. It is linked to the stress of repetitive motions at work or play.

Repetitive stress injury may sound like a modern phenomenon with the advancement of technology, proliferation of gadgets and people’s new way of working and lifestyle in general. This is not so. As early as in 1700, RSI has been described in medical publications.

Common examples of repetitive stress injuries are linked to the stress of repetitive motions from computer use, electronic games, texting, playing musical instruments, overuse injuries in sports and repetitive motion of sports like tennis.

Conditions from RSI

Common conditions resulting from RSI include the following:

Carpal tunnel syndrome – Pain, tingling and numbness in the hand due to swelling and compression of a nerve where it passes over the carpal bones.

Epicondylitis – soreness in the elbow, which is often called “tennis elbow”

Cervical radiculopathy – compression in the disc in the neck area. Prolonged and repetitive cradling in the shoulder of a phone is a common cause.

Ganglion cyst – swelling in the wrist due to the leaking of fluid substance from a tendon sheath or joint.

Tendonitis – Inflammation and tearing of tendons that connect bones to muscles.

The specific causes of RSI are varied because of the nature of the condition. The following types of actions have been identified to likely induce RSI:

Overuse of a specific muscle or muscles group

Maintaining the same posture for long periods of time

Poor posture / poorly designed workspace

Working in cold environments

Vibrating equipment

Forceful activities / carrying heavy loads

Psychological stress

Fatigue

RSI Treatment

Just as the causes for RSI are varied, so are the intervention methods in treating the underlying conditions. These are the most commonly used treatment options:

Medication – Anti-inflammatory painkillers, muscle relaxants, and antidepressants are some of the medications used. They may be over-the-counter or prescription types, depending on the severity of the condition.

Heat or cold – Application of heat packs or ice packs to relieve pain and inflammation

Physiotherapy – Includes physical exercises

Chiropractic care – Diagnoses and applies non-medication, non-surgical method to treat RSI based on underlying causes associated with the musculoskeletal system

Steroid injections – Applied only when there is inflammation with the particular medical condition

Surgery – Usually applied as a last recourse to correct problems with tendons and nerves

The key to preventing the progression and deterioration of RSI’s is to put a stop to whatever it is that is causing them. When your work is the factor that influences the occurrence of RSI, observing the following will help:

Be aware of the factors in your daily activities that may induce the conditions for repetitive stress injury. Guard against these factors or you may be gradually consumed by these activities and end up having RSI.

Half of the world’s adult population deals with some type of headache conditions, according to the World Health Organization. It is not surprising that it is one of the most common health conditions and health complaints. Even the number of documented types of headaches are baffling – over 120. Most of these headaches are not serious and can easily be treated.

There are only a few types of headaches that chiropractic care may not be able to manage. These are headaches where the causes are serious and life-threatening, including aneurism, brain tumors, vertebral or carotid artery dissection and head injuries. Chiropractors will normally refer such serious but rare cases to other healthcare professionals for more appropriate medical attention. It is their role to do this. The types of headaches that are commonly treated with chiropractic care are obviously the most common types of headaches. They are tension headaches, cervicogenic headaches, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) headaches and migraines.

Tension Headaches

The most common type of headache and one commonly treated by chiropractic care is tension headache. It is what you normally describe as the everyday-type of headaches. When you have a tension headache, you may feel like you have a tight band stretched around your head. Its severity may be mild to extreme, though it does not normally disrupt your daily activities. Tension headaches usually last from thirty minutes to a few hours. In some cases though, they may last for a few days. Twice as many women as men are affected by tension headaches. Muscle contractions in the regions in your head and neck are believed to be the cause of tension headaches and triggered by a variety of factors such as certain activities, foods and stressors.

Cervicogenic headaches

Another common type of headache that chiropractic care is strongly attached to is cervicogenic headaches. It is estimated that 20 to 25 percent of the adults get affected by this type of headaches. It is a headache condition that develops from a problem with your cervical spine, such as in the vertebrae, joints, discs or your neck’s muscles and tendons. The headache pain may be traced to the compression and irritation of the nerves from the problem in your spine. The symptoms for cervicogenic headaches often mimic tension headaches and migraines that is why their diagnosis can be missed. The symptoms include pain at the base of your skull, usually in the back area or between the shoulder blades, dizziness and feeling lightheaded.

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) headache

This type of headache is caused by temporomandibular joint dysfunction, a jaw joint pain condition, and usually associated with other symptoms such as pain from the movement of the jaw – chewing, yawning, talking, etc. TMJ dysfunction is a result of jaw misalignment or injury. It affects 20 to 30 percent of adults, typically young and middle-aged. It affects more women than men.

Migraines

Migraine headaches are intense head pain usually felt on one side of your head and accompanied by other symptoms including nausea, vomiting, and certain nervous system disturbances in the visual, sensory, verbal or motor functions, called auras. The severity of the pain in migraines makes performing routine tasks very difficult. Nearly 10 percent of Americans have migraines, with the number of women about three times as many as men. In most cases of migraines, vertebral misalignments in the neck region are seen as the likely cause.

Diagnosis and Chiropractic Treatment of Headaches

Your chiropractor will determine the treatment plan depending on the type of headache you have. The chiropractor is able to identify the headache through the application of pressure in your neck, head or shoulder region and reproduction of the headache pain. Spinal adjustments will be performed in all spine related headaches. In the course of the treatment, techniques on stress management will be discussed. Dietary and hormone factors will be addressed, as necessary for migraine cases.

Chiropractic care is more than just the relief of headaches. Take advantage of its many benefits in the prevention not only of headaches, but of many other health conditions and in improving your general health, through regular chiropractor visits.

Would you like to go deep sea fishing and actually deal with catching fish than deal with nausea? Would it be a thrill to forget about the air-sickness bag during airplane flights? Fight off still motion sickness with these common – but usually neglected – travel tips:

Avoid reading. Reading a book may make those miles roll by faster, but if you’re prone to motion sickness, find a different way to pass the time.

Cradle your head. When your head moves around, movements of the middle ear may cause motion sickness. Help keep your head and body still by pushing your head firmly against the headrest. For more comfort, use a pillow that conforms to your head and keeps it stable and motionless.

Clear the air. Smoke and other strong or disagreeable odors can make your queasiness worse, so ask your traveling partners to hold off on smoking or using strong colognes. Also, get fresh air. If possible, roll down a window.

Take a breath. Research finds that taking slow, deep breaths can help combat the symptoms of motion sickness.

Eat light. Do not travel on an empty stomach. Eat a light meal about three hours before setting off, but avoid dairy products and foods high in protein, salt, or calories.

Shrink from alcoholic drinks. Alcohol directly affects your sense of balance and can make motion sickness much worse. Delay drinking until you get where you are going.

Remember ginger. Studies find that ginger can tone down your nausea and help prevent vomiting, although you may still have headache and dizziness. In one study a 940-milligram capsule of ginger was more effective than an over-the-counter medicine for motion sickness. Skip supermarket ginger ale. It usually does not contain enough ginger to help.

Rest before you roam. Get lots of rest before any trip that may cause motion sickness.

Do not rock the boat. If you are on a boat, the closer to the center you can stay, the better. You will experience less movement there than near the edges of the boat. This is also true on airplanes.

Learn this lemon law. Lemons may make you pucker up, but they’re also an astonishing remedy for motion sickness. If you feel queasy while riding in a car or boat, try sucking on a lemon wedge. It should help relieve the nausea.

Press to ease distress. Acupressure can actually relieve your queasiness. To do it on your own, hold your hand with the palm facing up. On your forearm, measure three finger widths from your wrist; this spot is usually between your two tendons, where your middle finger is lined up. Then, apply steady and significant pressure at this point to begin easing your motion sickness. You can also buy wrist bands that do the pressing for you.

Chiropractic Care for Motion Sickness

Because motion sickness is a type of headache that is usually caused by stress or anxiety during travels, engaging in chiropractic care could be an effective option in easing the pain. Studies have shown that patients of motion sickness who have undergone chiropractic manipulations on the spinal and cranial areas were able to overcome their conditions and successfully travel in different types of transportation without experiencing symptoms related to motion sickness.